Cardio Workout of the Week: Building Endurance 2

So after a couple weeks of interval workouts, it’s time for another endurance-focused workout! It is generally recommended to include one longer workout each week to build your endurance. The length of your long workout will depend on your fitness level and your training goals. To build endurance this week’s workout is 60 minutes, but it can be shortened if you haven’t built up to a workout of that length yet. You can perform this workout on the cardio machine of your choice or outdoors on foot. Have fun!

Begin by warming up for five minutes at 50 to 60 percent effort. Next, gradually increase your effort to 65 to 70 percent and hold your effort level constant for 15 minutes. Take five minutes easy to recover. Next, gradually increase your effort again to 65 to 70 percent, but this time increase the incline/resistance so you are on a hill and hold this effort for another 15 minutes. Take five minutes easy to recover on a flat road/low resistance. Finally, finish with some sprints. Take your effort back to 65 to 70 percent effort for ten minutes and add in four 30-second sprints (at 90 to 100 percent effort) with two minutes between sprints. Don’t let your effort level drop below 65 percent between the sprints. Wrap up by cooling down at an easy effort for five minutes.

**If using a heart rate monitor, aim for 65-75% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) during the endurance segments and 50-65% MHR during the recovery segment.

Make it easier: eliminate the segment with the sprints and finish the workout at 45 minutes.

Make it harder: eliminate the recovery period between the flat effort and the hill effort, instead moving from the flat segment directly into the hill segment.

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Hi, I'm Andrea. I'm a wife, dog-mom, and new mother with a background in public health and personal training. I live in Washington, D.C., and I love everything running and fitness related. My blog is a collection of health news, training advice, and my own training experiences. Welcome to my blog!